Author's Note: Hello everyone. I'm so sorry it's been so long since I've updated. I lost access to internet there for a long while and only recently regained said access. The good new is, in that time, I've managed to write six new chapters. I might not be able to get all of them updated at one time, but I will have them up soon. So please enjoy and review. I do not own Lords of the Underworld or any of its characters.

Chapter 25 My Defense

Isolde spent the rest of the night in her room after visting Paris to tell him how the game went. Paris had grinned, somewhat amused with how she had gone about snagging the boxers. She had then retreated to her room, avoiding Anya who had gotten in big trouble with Lucien for her dare. After having been robbed of his pants, Lucien has shut down the game. Isolde was happy enough to retreat to her room and not have to continue playing the silly game. Though she knew it was only a matter of time before Anya got another game together.

The next day Isolde hit a dry spell with her writing and was close to banging her head on her keyboard. She hated writer's block. It was beyond frustrating. She was bent over her desk, forehead pressed into the metal top when there was a knock on her door. Disaster cackled as she banged her head against the metal desk top.

"Come in, Kane." she called.

Kane opened the door and raised an eyebrow when he saw Isolde bent over her desk, banging her head against it. Her hair was a mess from where she had run her fingers through it several times in frustration and annoyance.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Writer's block. My muse decided to up and shoot itself on me." Isolde replied.

"And that is why you're banging your head on the desk?"

"If you were a serious writer, you would share my pain."

"No thanks."

Isolde pushed herself up straight and spun her chair around to face him. Unless someone was a writer themselves and had experienced the pain of writer's block, they didn't understand why she got so hard up about not being able to think of what to write.

"Did you need something?" she asked him.

"A couple of the others are getting together outside for a training spar. I was told to ask you if you wanted to join us." Kane told her.

"Sure. It'll give my over worked brain a break. Just let me change." Isolde said, hopping out of her chair and heading for her closet.

Kane nodded and quickly turned when she started yanking her shirt off, tossing it over her shoulder. He kept his back to her as she shed her clothes and pulled on skin tight, black shorts, a stretchy red tank top, and boots. She checked her weapons, yanked on her gloves, and grabbed a hair tie to pull her hair back.

"You can turn around now." she told Kane.

Kane turned back around as she tied her hair back. He looked her over as she made sure her hair was tied. Most of Isolde's clothes left nothing to the imagination and Kane already had an over active imagination. With the skin tight clothes she was currently wearing, he could tell every dip and curve in her body.

He could also tell that she wasn't wearing a bra.

Kane had to turn his eyes to the ceiling before he made a comment he would regret. Isolde didn't usually appreciate people butting in on her personal choices. Her clothes were one of those choices that she purposely went out of her way to make questionable.

"You alright?" Isolde asked, drawing his attention back to her.

"Fine." he replied.

Isolde cocked an eyebrow at him in a questioning look. She apparently didn't buy it. She was sharper than most gave her credit for. But this was one gernade that Kane wasn't pulling the pin on. He hadn't seen her in that out-of-control, vicious, take-a-chunk-out-of-her-daddy's-arm state and he really didn't want to. After listening to Maddox, Reyes, and Paris describe the last incident, he was just fine with hearing about it.

"It's nothing really." he told her.

"I can always ask Disaster. He'd willing tell me what's going on in your head." she told him.

A cackling giggle from the demon told Kane that it would, in fact, do just that. He really hated the demon. It wasn't fair that Isolde could easily figure out what he was thinking but the majority of the time, no one knew what the hell went on in Isolde's head. She never shared. But there was one thing Kane had started to figure out about her.

"You wouldn't do that though." he said.

Isolde's head tilted to the side as she looked up at him. Those two-toned eyes stared intently into his hazel ones. It was as if she was searching to see if he honestly believed that. He did. Isolde may be able to figure it out, talking to their demons, but she usually didn't want to. That was a form of avasion of privacy that she wasn't willing to preform.

"Huh...seems one of you is starting to pick up on me. You are a scary man, Kane." she told him, shaking a finger at him before moving around him to head for her door.

Kane turned and followed her, pulling her door close behind him. He didn't know what to make of that comment. He had picked up on a few things about Isolde. Like if she was walking with someone else, she never used her shadows to transport, even if it would be quicker. She was considerate enough to walk with the person. She liked to help others with their problems, but avoided all discussion of her own, she hated being inactive unless she was sitting in front of her computer trying to write, made the cutest, yet most frustrated expression when she had writer's block, and she resorted to sarcasm when embarrassed or when she wanted to avoid a question.

None of which he would repeat to her.

"Is there any chance I could get you to forget that little tidbit?" she asked as they walked.

"Why would I?" he asked.

"Because the only reason the whole thing works is because none of you can figure me out. Kind of ruins my air of mystery if you start figuring me out." Isolde replied.

"In that case...no."

Isolde threw him a look that made him grin. He could play the game too, if he wanted to. With a grumble she gave him a light, playful punch in the side.

"In that case, you get to help me with a test." Isolde said then.

"Test? What test?" Kane asked.

Isolde turned, stopping in front of him to make him stop in his tracks. He looked down at her as she held out her hand.

"Nothing major. Let me see your wrist." she said.

Weary of what she was planning, especially since Disaster was cackling again, Kane held out his left wrist. Isolde quickly grabbed him by the wrist. Before Kane could open his mouth, shadows leapt up around them, swallowing them whole. Kane had a feeling like the floor was swept out from under his feet. Cold swept over him making him feel like he had just been shoved into a meat locker. He became disoriented before they were spit back out once more.

It took all but a single breath in, but they were suddenly outside, standing in the center of the others. Isolde let go of his wrist and Kane staggered a step before, in a wave of dizziness, he fell back on his back.

"Kane! Are you alright?"

Isolde appeared over him, looking down at him with concern. A few of the others joined her, Sabin shooting her a dirty look before questioning her about what just happened.

"I was just testing to see if I could safely transport others through my shadows. Kane, are you alright?" Isolde said, looking from Sabin back to Kane.

"Yeah. Just disoriented." Kane told her, pushing himself up into a sitting position. "There for a second I couldn't tell what was up and what was down past the darkness."

Isolde looked at him in surprise.

"Really? You couldn't see past the shadows, or keep your bearings?" she asked, intrigued.

Kane shook his head.

"You could?" he asked.

"Always. It would be pretty useless if I couldn't." Isolde replied.

Isolde and Strider helped Kane to his feet. When he was steady on his feet once more, Isolde crossed her arms, a thoughtful look on her face. She was even chewing on her bottom lip as she thought this over.

"I wonder if that's just your reaction to it. I mean with Daddy's flashing, everyone reacts somewhat differently. Maybe the same could be said with my shadow travel." she mused.

"Yeah. Maybe you're just a wimp, Kane." Strider remarked with a grin.

Isolde's eyes snapped to Strider sharply. Kane could have told the man that he was in for it now. Usually Isolde made it a point not to challenge Strider, but in some cases, she was not above it. Isolde held out her hand sharply then, catching Strider off guard.

"Then hand over your hand, hot shot. Lets see how you handle it." she said.

Strider's jaw snapped closed. It was hard to miss the challenge in Isolde's gaze. If he didn't do it then he would be in pain for days to come. It was best to just get it over with. Strider took her hand and with a grin on Isolde's face, the two were engulfed by shadows. They reappeared a few feet away. Strider bent double and threw up, much like Reyes and Gideon did when Lucien flashed them. Isolde had the biggest cat-got-the-canary grin on her face as she watched him, her hands on her hips.

"I was so hoping that would happen. Would have been better if you had passed out. I would have gotten a sharpie after your face then." Isolde remarked.

Strider shot her a dirty look. Isolde pat him on the back. Even Sabin had a grin on his face by this point. Gideon clapped Isolde on the shoulder for a job well done.

"As much fun as it is to watch Strider throw up, I thought we were going to train." Cameo remarked.

"Right! I'm ready to learn some more tricks of the trade." Isolde said, linking her arm with Cameo's.

"Coming from your mouth, I don't think I like the sound of that." Kane remarked.

"Oh, it's not you that has to worry." Isolde assured him.

Gideon, who knew what she meant, chuckled. Isolde held a finger up to her lips and Gideon grinned in reply.

"This would be a good time to work on your defensive skills, Isolde. You are good with offense but your defense could use work." Lucien said, walking up to her.

"You make it sound like I'm defenseless." Isolde replied.

"Not completely but you could stand to learn a bit more." Lucien told her.

Isolde could see what led him to that belief and couldn't argue with him on it. She did get injured quite a lot. She lacked a traditional form of defense. If she saw an attack coming that she could avoid, she avoided it, but she didn't kill herself trying to defend her body from harm when she knew it wouldn't be fatal. She was just fine with the way she fought, but Lucien thought she needed to improve. She saw his point, so she shrugged.

"Alright then." she agreed.

"Then let us see how you do. Sabin and I will attack you." Lucien said.

A devil's grin lit Isolde's face, her eyes flashing. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Isolde was planning something. The question than became who was the plan directed against? Lucien or Sabin? They would find out and they both had a feeling that they weren't going to like the answer.

Isolde took a position in the middle of the yard, rolling her shoulders. She was ready to blow a little steam before they would all have to head off to Egypt. If she didn't, she might be tempted to jump the gun once there. Not something she could afford to do. Not with Hunters around. Especially not given what they would find once there. She spun to face Lucien and Sabin, eyeing the two.

Lucien could flash. That would be a problem simply because he would be able to move faster than she could react to. Of course she knew where he was thanks to Death's constant presence in her head, but he could move faster than she could track and could hide in the spiritual realm. She could see him in that realm thanks to her link with Death, but she couldn't attack him. That would be a problem indeed. She could always vanish into her shadows, stay within the realm created by them, but that would make it hard for her to attack too.

Then there was Sabin. The man was clever. Really clever. And fast in his own right. But she knew his weaknesses better than anyone. For one, he couldn't see great distances, having lost an eye while serving Zeus, who had to replace said eye. Then there was his habit of grabbing an opponent if he had a free hand. That was the reason he carried two blades when battling, always had his hands full. If she could disarm him of a single blade, he would grab her and she could use that against him. Then there was his left knee. If she applied any kind of pressure to it, she could take him down.

In the end, if she had to choose which one to attack, then hands down..it would be Sabin.

She was weak in defense, it was true. She always had been. No matter the fight she had gotten into, she had always forsaken defense for offense. If she could take her opponent down first, then there was no need for defense. In her head, the best defense had always been a swift, and strong offense. Because of that, she had developed a strong knack for avasion. If she was out powered, out classed, running was better than dying.

Some said a person had to fight to live another day. Isolde said one had to run to live another day. Better to run, be called a coward, and live, than to die needlessly. She could always take advantage of the sense of confidence one gained from her retreat, to slaughter them the next time. That was how her mind worked. Always working to stay a step ahead.

So in this case she would ignore Lucien, aim for Sabin.

She owed him anyway and the underwear raid wasn't good enough payment.

Sabin and Lucien saw the change in Isolde instantly. She scanned the both of them and then there was a sharp glint in her eyes before she shifted her position, hands hovering just to the sides of her body, ready to reach for a weapon. The grin on her face vanished as she turned serious, sharp eyes waiting and watching. Having always been fighting on the same side of her, neither of them had ever focused on her when fighting. It was a first to watch the change come over her. The others could see it too.

Isolde took a deep breath and when she moved, it was quick and sure, her feet carrying her quickly towards Lucien. She was going to focus on the one that could flash first. That was what Sabin thought as he move in from her side, blades already in his hands. As long as he avoided massive damage, there was no need to worry about injuring her. He would strike while she was focused on Lucien. He striked from behind, blade slicing towards her right shoulder, but then Isolde's knees buckled, lowering her body. The blade flew over her shoulder and Isolde's right hand came up, her own blade sending his flying.

She turned on him then, eyes intent. Sabin took a step back as her hand flashed out again. The blade missed and, out of habit, Sabin reached for her with his free hand, grabbing the wrist of her right hand, stopping the blade from stabbing him in the side. A grin flashed across Isolde's face before she dropped the blade in her right hand, twisting her wrist in his grip until she wrapped her hand around his wrist in kind. With the grip, she was able to twist enough to kick one foot out...towards his left knee.

Sabin knew his mistake the moment her heel connected with his left knee and he went down. He grit his teeth, dragging her with him. Isolde went easily, rolling with him. One of her arms snaked around his neck, while the other wrapped under his left arm. She locked her arms in place, putting him in a head lock. She had her arms in the perfect position to snap his neck if he fought her.

"You knew about my weak points." Sabin hissed as she held him firmly.

"I keep telling you, I know everything about you. If I really wanted to be your enemy, I would have killed you a long time ago with the information I know. Yet, I haven't and you insist I'm a danger to you and the others. You should have ended up with Distrust instead of Baden." Isolde retorted.

Sabin gnashed his teeth together, trying to twist free. Isolde held steady, tightening her grip around his neck and cutting off a little of his air, until he settled back down. Lucien approached, but stopped a few feet short of the two. This had been Isolde's goal from the beginning. Getting to Sabin to prove a point. She had made up her mind to use this training session as a chance to try to prove something to Sabin in a split second after Lucien had told her that it would be him and Sabin against her, and she had not hesitated to act on it instantly.

That was Isolde alright.

"Isolde, release him. You were suppose to be focusing on defense." Lucien told her.

"This is defense." Isolde replied.

"No it's no-"

"For me a good defense is a swift and strong offense. If I strike first there is no point in a defense. If I know my opponent's every weakness and can use those against them, there is no point in defending. Knowing a person's weak points, like a tendency to grab an opponent when they have a free hand or a weak knee, is all I need. I'll exploit it for all it's worth. No point in hesitating. All is fair in war because there is nothing fair about war. If an opponent is bigger, stronger, more experienced, I'll take any advantage I can get my hands on. And if I can't find any, I'll run. You may fight to live another day, I do too, but if I have no chance of winning a battle, I'll run to live another day. Screw traditional defense." Isolde said.

Sabin twisted to look up at her. Those two-toned eyes peered back down at him, purpose in their depths. She was trying to prove a point. He understood that. But it only made him even more weary of her than he had been before. Though she had a point. Knowing what she knew, she could have taken his head a long time ago and had never so much as tried. She stared at him unblinking, her gaze merciless as she stared at him.

"I have my own way of dealing with a fight and this is it. I know your every weakness, everyone one you had, do have, and will have. Do you really think that if I was an enemy, I would have gone all this time without acting against you? Give me some credit, I do have a brain. Using others' weaknesses against them, using my knowlegde of them against them, is my forte. I'm an unforgiving bitch in that manner." she added, still staring at Sabin with that hard, unblinking gaze.

Then she blinked and the hard edge was gone from her gaze. She released him and backed away from him.

"So for me, this is defense."

Isolde shrugged as she turned away from Sabin and walked away from Lucien and Sabin. She had proven her point and that was all she cared about. Lucien frowned as he watched her walk away. Gideon was grinning by the time she reached him.

"I told you I'd put him in a head lock for you." Isolde told Gideon, getting a high-five from the blue haired male.

Sabin shot Gideon a glare, but he didn't look sorry at all about having asked Isolde to put him in a head lock.

"Did you really have to go that far to prove a point?" Kane asked.

"Given his low opinion of me? Yeah, I did." Isolde replied.

Sabin got to his feet, turning to look at her back. Isolde didn't bother turning to look at him. She was really giving him a hard time and he had a feeling it was only going to get worse the longer he held onto his belief that she was a danger to them all. Isolde was tired of being looked at as the bad guy there, just because she happened to know a little more than anyone else.

"That's enough, Isolde. Lets return to training." Lucien remarked.

"Sure." Isolde agreed.

Lucien pointedly gave Sabin a look before putting Isolde back to work, fighting against Gideon and Cameo. The two stood back and watched Isolde. The girl was fast, watching her opponents intently and moving according to how they moved. Like with Sabin, she was mindful of their weak spots, always trying to remain one step ahead of them.

She didn't have strength, like the men did, or even like Cameo, but she was fast and her aim was nearly spot on with knives and bullets. In the end she ended up barreling into Gideon, taking his knees out from under him, and hit the ground rolling with him. When they came to a stop, she had an arm wrapped around his throat and was forcing him to bend backwards awkwardly, as she held him in place. Gideon kept tapping her arm to get her to let go.

"Say mercy." Isolde told him.

"Ruthless!" Gideon called, his way of saying mercy.

"Sorry, that doesn't sound like mercy to me." Isolde joked.

Gideon frowned, cursing at her, managing to make her laugh. Lucien watched as Isolde finally released him.

"She's fast, accurate. Not very strong unless she lets one of the demons take over." Lucien remarked.

Sabin agreed. For all that Isolde didn't really seem to be taking this all too seriously, she did focus to get the job done. And he had seen her in a real fight. She had a deadly focus and seemed to be single minded when fighting. Though Lucien had a point. Sabin had seen how she had attacked when Reyes' demon was messing with her head. It was much more of an aggressive approach than how she fought normally. Either way, he agreed with Isolde that Lucien couldn't claim she couldn't hold her own.

By the time Lucien had paired her against every one of them, Isolde had gained a few bruises but otherwise felt pretty good. It was a better work out than running on a tredmile or lifting weights or going after the punching bag. After a few hours, Lucien called it quits and Isolde stretched. She headed upstairs to her room, ditching her clothes in the laundry basket and took a shower to wash away the sweat. As she toweled dry and got dressed, she ran through a mental grocery list. Having so many warriors in the house meant that what she did buy, was burned through quickly. Even when Paris covering the junk food end of the grocery shopping, it didn't take long for all of the food to vanish.

Dressed, Isolde snagged her bag, checking to make sure her wallet was inside. She had finally caved and allowed Torin to make her account. The man was constantly storing money in there for her to use. It was a lot easier than carrying money, but she swore she would never check to see how much money was in the account. She was positive the number would go to her head.

Stepping out into the hall, she stepped up to door next to hers and knocked. Kane was shirtless, his hair still wet from a shower, when he answered the door. Isolde fixed her eyes on his face so she wouldn't stare at his bare chest.

"Hey. I'm about to make a run into town to do some shopping. Want to come?" she asked.

Kane made a face when she said shopping and she knew why. She rolled her eyes at him, her hands going to her hips.

"Grocery shopping, goofball. I don't do the other kind unless Anya makes me." Isolde told him.

"You think it'll be okay?"

He meant with Disaster. The little demon was cackling in the back of her head. He loved any chance to be around Isolde in a public setting. Her accident prone nature was amusement enough to keep the demon occupied.

"Yeah, I'm sure it'll be fine. I'm almost sure to knock something over on myself." she replied.

The idea appealed greatly to the demon and she had a mental image of the demon rubbing his scaled hands together as he laughed and licked his lips. At least someone thought it was funny when she accidently knocked over displays.

"Sure. Just let me grab a shirt." Kane told her, turning to head for his closet.

Isolde leaned against the door jam, looking around his room as he looked for a clean shirt.

"You sure you want to do that? The ladies in town would eat you up if you didn't. Hell, they would still eat you up." she remarked.

"I'd rather not. Relationship, even one-night stands are tricky with the demon." he replied.

"With me nearby, I don't think you have to worry."

Kane stepped out of the closet, pulling a shirt over his head. He raised an eyebrow at her as he checked his weapons.

"You would really wait around while I did such a thing?" he asked.

"Wouldn't be the first time." she remarked.

When he gave her a questioning look, she heaved a sigh and crossed her arm over her chest.

"When I first came here and Lucien finally let me out of the fortress, I would go with Paris into town. While he had his fun, I would hang around at cafes or go grocery shopping. As long as you don't insist I have to be in the room, I don't really mind." she explained.

Her last sentence put a mental image in his head that would have been better left out of it. He gave his head a shake. She wouldn't have to worry about that. He wasn't going to be looking for a bed partner and he sure as hell wasn't going to use her like that. He told her about as much and was rewarded with a laugh and bright smile.

"You and Paris seem pretty close." he remarked as he followed her out of his room and down the hall.

"I suppose so. After Lucien, he's probably the one I'm the closest to." Isolde replied.

For some reason that put a bad, tight feeling in his chest. He didn't like the feeling.

"He's been like a brother to me since I've come here. I think he likes having a little sister figure that he can try to spoil." Isolde added.

"You have no romantic interest in him?" Kane questioned.

"Oh gods no! Don't get me wrong, I love Paris, but my idea of the man I'd fall for, are a bit different than him. Besides, after all the crap he's been through, he deserves better than someone like me whose too broken to know love when it hits her in the face...repeatedly. I won't date any of you for that reason." Isolde replied.

It was a solid concept, though he didn't agree with the reason. Isolde didn't look broken to him. A little mistrusting and distant, but not broken. They were all that way when it came down to it. After long, hard lives like their's, it was only reasonable. Isolde never shared what darkened her past.

"And and Torin, on the other hand, have had the same idea." she remarked.

Kane looked down at her and raised an eyebrow. What did she mean by that? When she only grinned at him before taking the stairs down, two at a time, he frowned. What did she mean!? Kane caught up with at the bottom of the stairs.

"What was that suppose to mean?" he asked.

"You know, I can't really blame either of you. She's a beautiful woman. Strong, confident, and actually very caring." Isolde said instead of answering.

Wait...did she mean Cameo?

"You know I use to be together with Cameo? Wait...Cameo's with Torin now?"

Isolde grinned at him, laughing at his expression.

"For one, when I said I know everything about you, I meant I know all about your past relationships too." she told him. "And for two, yes she is."

Kane heaved a sigh as he rubbed the back of his neck. That showed how much he paid attention to what was going on around him. By this point, Isolde had snagged a set of keys by the back door and was leading the way outside to the cars. She turned to him and waved the keys.

"You want to drive, or should I?" she asked.

"I will. Lucien told us all not to let you drive. Something about crashing your car before coming here." Kane told her, snagging the keys.

"Oh, so that's the reason! In my defense, the other guy ran a red light." Isolde replied, though she didn't argue.

The ride down the hillside to town was quick. Kane parked and let Isolde drag him to the grocery store she usually shopped at. He had to admit that it felt strange, being dragged from one aisle to the next, having his opinion asked for now and then. He felt like some kind of husband out on a shopping trip with his wife. And then it was nice to watch Isolde as she focused on shopping. She was so mindful of the likes and dislikes of all of their housemates, her sunglasses blocking her eyes from view. Then she came across some kind of snack called Pocky and had to buy every box they had on the shelf. She grinned at him as she stowed all twenty something boxes of the treat in their cart.

"Pocky is my kryptonite." she admitted, cheeks turning a light pink with a blush. "That and Razzleberry Pea Tea. I'd take that over chocolates and roses any day."

When she turned to continue on to the next aisle, Isolde, as she had predicted back at the fortress, ran right into a display. She hit her butt, canned food crashing down around her. Disaster cackled away gleefully as Kane went to her side to dig her out from under all of the cans. The employee who had been stacking the cans joined him.

"Are you alright?" Kane asked.

"Yeah, fine. I told you I'm accident prone." Isolde replied, accepting his hand up.

Kane pulled her to her feet, making sure none of the cans had struck her hard enough to make her bleed. Thankfully she was without injury.

"I'm so sorry about your display." Isolde told the man who had been stacking the cans.

"Don't worry about it. Accidents happen." he told her, giving her a smile before bending to gather the cans.

"We should finish up before you crash into anything else." Kane suggested.

He was use to bringing about small disasters like this, himself. But to have to watch out for disasters caused by someone else? He had to admit that it was actually a little refreshing. She agreed with him and they wrapped up shopping as quickly as they could. On their way out, the cashier had to remark that it was always amusing to watch Isolde and her accidents. Kane gave Isolde a questioning look as they carried the bags.

"I shop there all the time and it's not the first time I've accidently knocked over a display or something. They're all pretty much use to it by now." Isolde replied.

Knowing how that felt, Kane tried not to laugh, but the pout on her face undid him and he couldn't hold back the laugh. Isolde frowned at him and lightly jabbed him in the side with an elbow.

"Did you ever hear that it's not polite to laugh at others?" she asked.

Kane apologized to her, but he couldn't lose the smile on his face as they walked side by side back to the car. He really did like spending time with Isolde. She was just the right mix of ungraceful, childish, serious, and acutely aware to make it humorous.

Not that he would ever say that to her face.

He didn't have a death wish.